The New York State Racing and Wagering Board announced today the security measures that will be in place for this year’s Travers Stakes on August 25. Those measures are: Horses participating in the Travers Stakes must be on the grounds at Saratoga on August 22. Horses will have out-of-competition blood testing taken on August 22.…
Dark day #3 dawned gorgeous and clear, a perfect Saratoga morning. Ramon Dominguez still sits atop the jockey leaderboard with 26 wins; Javier Castellano is behind him with 17. Making an impressive return following an injury, John Velazquez has already won 12 races, despite not riding full-time at the beginning of the meet. Todd Pletcher…
In March at Gulfstream Park, Allen Jerkens introduced a new filly in his barn. “Emma,” he said. “Emma’s Encore.” She had arrived over the winter, winless after three starts and not terribly promising. In her first start for Jerkens on February 2 in a maiden claiming race, she finished third by three lengths. She broke…
The Whitney was first run in 1928, won by W.R. Coe’s Black Maria. Tomorrow, it will be run for the 85th time. Williams Collins Whitney was president of the Saratoga Association at the turn of the last century and oversaw a major expansion and rejuvenation of Saratoga Race Course. His sons, Payne Whitney and Harry…
Dormant for most of the year, the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds spring to life this week, in preparation for the yearling sales on August 6, 7, 11 and 12. Thoroughbred auctions have been held by Fasig-Tipton at Saratoga since 1917, and next week, sellers and buyers will gather, as they have for nearly a century, in…
Ten days down, thirty to go. I already feel as though there’s too much in Saratoga I won’t get to; the to-do list is getting longer, not shorter. Ramon Dominguez carries his lead in the jockey standings through week two; he’s got 21 wins with José Lezcano in second with 11. Anthony Dutrow led the…
Later today, Zagora will attempt to become the seventh horse to win the Diana two years in a row. Miss Grillo did it first, in 1946 and 1947; she was joined by Tempted (1959, 60); Shuvee (1970, 1971); Hush Dear (1982, 1983); Glowing Honor (1988, 89); and Forever Together (2008, 2009). Tempted was bred by…
It’s happened to all of us: we watch a promising 2-year-old, we get excited…then he gets hurt and disappears, and often, we have no idea where he goes. In her young adult novel Raja: Story of a Racehorse, Anne Hambleton tells the story of what might happen to a horse who can’t race any longer.…
In today’s second race at Saratoga, the youngest horse is four years old; the oldest is seven. Among them, they’ve made 124 starts. The race is called the Spooky Mulder, and I suspect that its namesake would approve. During his racing career, Spooky ran in 85 races, winning 34 of them. He finished second 17…
The first four days of racing in the books, and the early leaders are jockey Ramon Dominguez and trainer Anthony Dutrow. Dominguez tied John Velazquez’s record for most winners on one card when he won six races on Sunday; he’s got 10 wins for the meet. Jose Lezcano’s in second place with six. Take a…
Brooklyn Backstretch 